Brit Stitch fell on our radar recently after we spotted their bags on our Instagram feed. Each bag, whether a satchel or a clutch, is made from the finest of materials and colors. Our favorites? These mint blue colored bags that stole our hearts from the second we laid our eyes on them.
Their "Classic Collection" is equally dreamy. They fit 13" laptops. Our MacBooks are screaming for a new traveling home.
Are you already checking out while reading this? Well, of course you are.
We took a trip to Eat Sweets Pastry, a humble bakery in Westwood Village (Los Angeles) and fell in love. The shop is run by the talented Megan Driscoll, who really helps to define what "labor of love" really means. What caught our attention was the store's design... Everything was crafted by Megan and her family (even her father flew into Los Angeles to build some of the furniture!). The shop offers beautiful pastries of all sorts, such as shortbread cookies (which are our absolute favorite) with incredible detailing, tarts, Nutella sandwich cookies, and lots of goodies with seasonal fruits that are all made to perfection!
Megan used to dabble in many things - she actually graduated with a degree in journalism, and she worked in television. But she has always had roots in baking and making edible art, being as her father owned a restaurant and she often helped him in the kitchen. Megan, although successful in television, wanted to do something else... So she went to culinary school, learned more about foods and food styling, and opened up her shop years later in Westwood. It's gradually becoming a favorite in many households in the area. Clearly, who can resist the love that's put into each pastry? What truly inspires us, although everything about her does, is that she took a huge leap into what was her 'unknown.' Now, she says the shop is the best thing that's ever happened to her.
We can't help but love the store's wallpaper. Bright, beautiful, and sweet. Not only did she and her family assemble the decor, but they also built so many of the things inside - like this chalkboard which was once a frame and even the furniture. Eat Sweets Pastry essentially looks like an extension of Anthropologie. That's not a bad thing to be.
We cannot stop thinking about these pastries. Everything is as good as they look, we promise. There is something for everyone. Some of our favorites include... the shortbread cookies (try the white chocolate pistachio ones!), nutella sandwich cookies, linzer cookie with raspberry jam, blueberry tart shortbread streussel... Nevermind, we're basically listing everything on their menu. Order everything!
Eat Sweets Pastry also takes custom orders for events and catering too! If you just need catering, you know, for yourself, they're up for that too. Drop by their store, and tell us what you think!
They're located at: 964 Gayley Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90024.
We love a good family recipe. Sugar Baby Aprons kindly shared us their chili recipe a few years ago, and it just never gets old. In this bitter weather, this chili sounds just about right.
Ingredients
1 package of ground beef 4 ribs of celery 1 large onion 3 tbsp chili powder 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 can of brown beans 1 can of kidney bean 1 can of pinto beans 1 can of Mexican stewed tomatoes
Directions
- In a large pot brown your beef. - Add spices and simmer for a couple of minutes. - Add celery and onion simmer until tender. - Add the rest of your ingredients - Let simmer for an hour - Serve with tex mex cheese, buns or taco chips - Enjoy!
Photograph by Rae Fehr